


Our Last Words To Each Other

by mylastbraincell



Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, End of ROTS, F/M, Gen, Padmé And Anakin Are Soulmates, Soulmates, sorry y'all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:48:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25866928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mylastbraincell/pseuds/mylastbraincell
Summary: Padmé had always known that she was destined to lose her soulmate, but she had never imagined she would lose him like this.Or,A soulmates AU where everyone is born with the last words their soulmate will say to them.
Relationships: Padmé Amidala & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 4
Kudos: 45





	1. The Beginning Of The End

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or any Star Wars characters  
> Also, most dialogue is taken from ROTS because this story is canon-compliant  
> Thanks for reading! :)

Padmé had known her whole life that she was destined to lose her soulmate. It was inked into her right arm, four damning words in an upwards spiral. _Please, wait for me_.

Although it was taboo to discuss one’s Words, her parents sat her down for The Talk when she was old enough to read. Her Words, they told her, were the last that her soulmate would ever say to her. They meant that she would meet her soulmate, know them, and lose them.

Growing up, Padmé had made her peace with saying goodbye to her soulmate. Still, she sometimes thought when she was feeling bitter, she’d rather not know when she was about to lose them.

Even if it meant forever waiting for them to come back.

When Padmé married Anakin, she was well-aware of the risk of losing him. They’d talked about death, about losing each other. Anakin didn’t have Words. He had had them once, but they’d been burned off when he was just a child. It was common, in slaves. He knew they were short, by the size of the burn, but that was all. His mother hadn’t told him what they were. He told Padmé that he thought she’d been trying to spare him the pain of knowing.

Padmé never told Anakin her Words. Something about that would make them _real_ in a way that they weren’t if she didn’t say them out loud. He had pressed at first, but then relented. Some things, Padmé knew, were better left unknown.

Still, every time Anakin went on a mission, Padmé would wait with bated breath for him to say the words—knowing, if he did, that she would never see him again. 

Watching the Jedi Temple burn in the distance, Padmé waited for Anakin. She knew he would come back to her— _knew_ it, because he hadn’t said the words. Still, she paced. Just because he would be alive didn’t mean he couldn’t be injured. A plume of smoke billowed up from the Temple.

“My lady, there’s a Jedi fighter docking on the veranda,” Threepio said from the door. Padmé closed her eyes briefly in relief, before rushing to the bedroom.

Anakin was climbing out of his green fighter when Padmé reached the veranda. She fell into his arms, then pulled back and looked him up and down.

“Are you alright? I heard there was an attack on the Jedi Temple…you can see the smoke from here.”

Anakin smiled gently and took her hands in his. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine. I came to see if you and the baby are safe.”

“Captain Typho’s here, we’re safe. What’s happening?” Padmé asked. Anakin’s face darkened.

“The Jedi have tried to overthrow the Republic.”

Padmé’s eyes widened. 

“I can’t believe that!”

“I couldn’t either at first, but it’s true. I saw Master Windu attempt to assassinate the Chancellor myself.”

Padmé’s head was spinning. She could hear Threepio and Artoo in the background, but she couldn’t focus. _Was it true?_ She sat down heavily.

“What are you going to do?”

Anakin broke eye contact. 

“I will not betray the Republic. My loyalties lie with the Chancellor and the Senate…and with you,” he said. He met her eyes again.

Padmé frowned. Something about this still seemed wrong.

“What about Obi-Wan?” _He couldn’t be involved in this…could he?_

Anakin looked away again and paced across the room. 

“I don’t know…Many Jedi have been killed. We can only hope that he’s remained loyal to the Chancellor.”

It didn’t slip Padmé’s notice that he said _to the Chancellor_ instead of _to the Republic._

“How could this have happened?”

“The Republic is unstable, Padmé. The Jedi aren’t the only ones trying to take advantage of the situation. There are also traitors in the Senate.”

Padmé felt her heart stop for a moment. _Was he implying…?_ She stood.

“What are you saying?”

Anakin turned back to her. His face was cold, unforgiving.

“You need to distance yourself from your friends in the Senate. The Chancellor said they will be dealt with when this conflict is over.”

Something cold ran down Padmé’s spine.

“What if they start an inquisition? I’ve opposed this war. What will you do if I become a suspect?” _Will you abandon me as I suspect you’ve done with Obi Wan?_

Anakin’s face softened.

“That won’t happen. I won’t let it,” he said, but for the first time since they were married, Padmé wasn’t sure she believed him.

“I’m scared,” she whispered, and he pulled her into his arms.

“Have faith, my love. Everything will soon be set right. The Chancellor has given me a very important mission. The Separatists have gathered on Mustafar. I’m going there to end this war. Wait for me until I return…things will be different, I promise.”

_Yes, things will be different_ , Padmé wanted to say _, that’s what I’m afraid of._

Instead, she kissed him, and wished they could stay here in this moment until the world fell away. 

Too soon, they pulled apart.

“Please, wait for me,” Anakin said, and Padmé felt her world fall apart.

“I will,” she whispered, blinking back tears and smiling the best she could. _I will wait for you forever, my love._


	2. Obi-Wan's Tale

Padmé was staring blankly at the wall when the veranda alarm went off. She should have been working, doing damage control on the previous day, but she couldn’t bring herself to do anything but imagine what might be happening to Anakin. Had he been killed? Had his ship malfunctioned? Or was he at this moment being tortured by Separatists while he waited for a rescue that would never come?

The alarm snapped Padmé out of her thoughts, and she hurried down the steps. Was it Bail, or perhaps Anakin? Maybe his last words hadn’t been _the_ words, maybe she had been wrong. 

Her hope melted into a mixture of pain and relief as she caught sight of Obi-Wan’s familiar face. She felt a moment of guilt for the pain, but pushed it aside.

“Master Kenobi…” She embraced him. _One less person she had to worry about losing_.She pulled back. 

“Obi-Wan, thank goodness…you’re alive.”

Obi-Wan looked uncharacteristically grim.

“The Republic has fallen. Padmé…the Jedi order is no more.”

Padmé sighed. “I know, it’s hard to believe everything to which we’ve dedicated our lives is gone.”

But Obi-Wan wasn’t done.

“I believe we may have been part of a plot hundreds of years in the making.”

“The Senate is still intact, there is still hope,” Padmé said, frowning. Obi-Wan shook his head.

“No, Padmé, it’s over. The Sith now rule the galaxy as they did before the Republic,” he said.

_What?_ Padmé couldn’t make sense of it. Now the Sith were involved?

“The Sith?” She asked incredulously. 

Obi-Wan nodded.

“I’m here looking for Anakin…When was the last time you saw him?”

At her soulmate’s name, Padmé felt a brief stab of pain. 

“Yesterday,” she said. Obi-Wan leaned towards her.

“And do you know where he is now?”

Padmé looked down. “No.” Obi-Wan took her hand.

“Padmé, I need your help. He’s in grave danger.”

Alarm flashed through Padmé. _The Words_. 

“From the Sith?”

Obi-Wan looked pained.

“From himself,” he said. “Padmé…Anakin has turned to the dark side.”

_No._

“You’re wrong! How could you even say that?” Padmé snapped, wrenching her hand back. Even as she said it, though, she recalled how he broke eye contact when she asked him what he would do, how he turned away when she asked about Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan’s voice was painfully gentle as he said, “I have seen a security hologram of him killing younglings.”

_Younglings._ Padmé was numb.

“Not Anakin! He couldn’t!” She insisted, even as she remembered Tatooine. She pushed those memories aside. _Not Ani._

Obi-Wan set a hand on her shoulder, and Padmé let him. 

“He was deceived by a lie. We all were. It appears that the Chancellor is behind everything, including the war. Palpatine is the Sith Lord we’ve been looking for. After the death of Count Dooku, Anakin became his new apprentice.”

_It’s not possible. Please, it’s not possible._

“I don’t believe you. I can’t,” Padmé said, and even she could hear the pleading note in her voice.

“Padmé, I must find him,” Obi-Wan said, his voice heavy with grief and conviction.

_Why…Oh._

“You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?” Padmé asked quietly, as everything inside of her screamed. She couldn’t meet Obi-Wan’s eyes—those horrible, understanding eyes.

“He has become a very great threat,” he said quietly.

There was no air in Padmé’s lungs. She sat down with difficulty, her legs close to giving out. Her condition made it even harder, and she realized that it was very obvious that she was pregnant. She couldn’t bring herself to care. What was another secret, when everything was falling apart? When her friend asked her to betray the man she loved?

“I can’t…” She said, but trailed off. Couldn’t she? Shouldn’t she, as a citizen of the Republic, help the Jedi stop the man who had slaughtered _children_?

_Not Ani_ , she thought again. She couldn’t betray Anakin. Surely, this was a misunderstanding. Surely, there was some reason, some explanation that would make sense of all this.

Obi-Wan was looking at her with sad eyes.

“Anakin is the father, isn’t he?”

Padmé couldn’t look at him. _Of course_ , she wanted to scream _, of course he is._ And, _How could you ask this of me? How could you ask me to betray the father of my child?_

“I’m sorry,” he said, and she looked back at him. He smiled sadly at her, and turned to leave. Padmé watched him go, watched as he climbed into his speeder and flew away. She did not call after him.

_What should she do?_ Her world was in pieces. Her soulmate had said her Words. The Republic had fallen. The Jedi were gone. And, on top of it all, the Chancellor was a _Sith_?

Padmé took the japor snippet around her neck into her hand. Anakin was in danger. She needed to go to him, Words be damned. _Maybe_ , she reasoned, _they hadn’t been the Words at all._ Had he said _Please, wait for me_ or just _Wait for me?_ Padmé couldn’t recall. It was all a blur. Hope started to build in her as she clutched the japor snippet like a lifeline. 

It was decided. Padmé would go to Mustafar. 


	3. Trip to Mustafar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure if I was going to include this scene, but I figured, what the hell  
> It's a bit shorter, just some thoughts of Padmé's, and is pretty much skippable  
> (I recently. edited it to add a couple things, btw)

Padmé was many things, but she wasn’t stupid. She knew her desperate flight to Mustafar would probably be too late. After all, those were what the Words _meant._ Besides, Padmé had heard many stories about the horrible things that happened to people who tried to find a loophole.

Still, she had to try.

She didn’t know what she was going to do. What _could_ she do? If Anakin and Obi-Wan got in a fight, she wouldn’t be any help. If Ani was hurt— Padmé didn’t want to think about that. Hopefully, she’d get there before anything happened. Hopefully, everything would be alright.

A dull ache moved through Padmé’s abdomen, and she gasped. As quickly as it came, though, it disappeared. 

Padmé wiped her eyes and tried to stop crying. She needed to hurry, needed her head to be clear. Besides, if Ani saw that she had been crying, he would be worried, and that would derail the conversation. 

Ani was good at derailing conversations, especially about things he didn’t like. It was one of the things about him that drove Obi-Wan crazy.

At the thought of Obi-Wan, tears threatened Padmé’s eyes again, and she furiously blinked them back. 

_What was he thinking?_ Padmé thought angrily. _How could Obi-Wan even entertain the notion of killing—of hurting—of fighting Ani?_ She knew that Obi-Wan and Ani’s relationship had had difficulties—a lot of them, if Anakin’s rants were taken into account—but they were like brothers. Obi-Wan had practically _raised_ Ani since he left Tatooine.

_Don’t think about Tatooine._

“My lady, we are approaching Mustafar,” said Threepio, who hadn’t actually said much after they’d taken off. Padmé gave him her best smile.

“Thank you, Threepio. When we land, please stay with the ship. It should be a short visit, I just need to talk to Ani.”

“Are you sure? I am supposed to be looking after you.”

Padmé’s smile became a bit less forced. Not many people realized it, but Threepio could be very brave when it came to his friends.

“I’m sure. I’ll need you to look after the ship,” she said.

“Oh, well. Alright then,” the droid said. 

As they landed next to Anakin’s ship, Padmé saw a figure hurrying out to the landing platform. _Ani._ He was alive, after all. Padmé sighed in relief and stood, rubbing her lower back. _Stars_ , it was aching. 

“My lady,” Threepio called as she was about to lower the ramp. She turned. “Be careful.”

Padmé smiled. Her soulmate was alive, and waiting for her. There was nothing to fear.

“Alright, Threepio,” she said, and lowered the ramp.


	4. Mustafar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note: I edited the last chapter to add a couple things  
> Also, this chapter also has dialogue from ROTS

“Padmé, I saw your ship,” Anakin said, and Padmé felt the breath leave her body with the violence of her relief. _He’d spoken to her, he was still with her, those hadn’t been the Words!_ Until he’d spoken, Padmé hadn’t realized how tentative her hope had been, but now, she was overflowing. Throwing caution to the wind, she closed the remaining steps between them and threw her arms around him. _Her Ani._ He was safe.

“Anakin,” she murmured into his robes. 

“It’s alright, you’re safe now. What are you doing out here?”

Padmé wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. It wasn’t _her_ that she was worried about. She’d almost forgotten, how could she have forgotten?

“I was so worried about you. Obi-Wan told me terrible things,” she said, her voice still somewhat muffled by his robes. Anakin stiffened. She didn’t want to pull back, didn’t want to leave the safety of his arms, but she let him pull away.

“What things?”

Padmé didn’t want to say it. She didn’t want to, but she had to, if only so Anakin could explain. She couldn’t look him in the eyes.

“He said you’ve turned to the dark side…that you killed younglings.”

“Obi-Wan is trying to turn you against me,” Anakin said, and there was something _dark_ in his voice. _Was that…jealousy?_ Padmé frowned.

“He cares about us,” she said, and reached for Anakin’s hands. He let her take them, but didn’t squeeze her hands back like he usually did.

“ _Us?_ ” 

Padmé almost flinched at the coldness in his voice. 

“He knows…He wants to _help_ you, Ani,” she said, looking up at his face. There was something _different_ about him, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Anakin scoffed.

“Is _Obi-Wan_ going to protect you? He can’t…he can’t help you. He isn’t strong enough,” he said, and his voice was so bitter and jealous that Padmé almost took a step back.

“Anakin, all I want is your love,” she said, and silently begged him to understand. Where was this jealousy coming from? He must have known there was nothing between her and Obi-Wan. Anakin sneered, and the look was so alien on his face that Padmé did flinch this time.

“Love can’t save you, Padmé. Only my new powers can do that.”

_His eyes were yellow. When had his eyes turned yellow?_

“At what cost? You’re a good person, don’t do this,” Padmé begged. She let go of Anakin’s hands to reach up to his face. He stepped forward, looming over her.

“I won’t lose you the way I lost my mother! I’ve become more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of and I’ve done it for you. To protect you!” Anakin seemed to grow more angry with every word and Padmé once again felt an overwhelming sense of wrongness. She pushed it aside.

“Come away with me, Ani. Help me raise our child. Leave everything else behind while we still can,” she pleaded. _Please, just come with me. Let’s run away together, like we used to talk about, remember?_

Anakin shook his head and took her hands in his.

“Don’t you see, we don’t have to run anymore. I have brought peace to the Republic. I am more powerful than the Chancellor. I can overthrow him, and you and I can rule the galaxy. Make things the way we want them to be,” he said, those yellow eyes glowing with a manic light. With that expression…he didn’t look like Ani. He looked like someone else. _Ani would know that this…this isn’t what I want._ Padmé took her hands back from his and stepped back.

“I don’t believe what I’m hearing…Obi-Wan was right. You’ve changed.”

Anakin—no, he wasn’t Anakin, Anakin wouldn’t be doing this—scowled at her.

“I don’t want to hear any more about Obi-Wan. The Jedi turned against me. Don’t you turn against me too.”

In his words Padmé heard (was it possible?) a threat. She continued backing away, and shook her head. _Who was this? This wasn’t the man she’d married._

“I don’t know you anymore. Anakin, you’re breaking my heart. You’re going down a path I can’t follow,” she said. _Please, Anakin, come back to me._ His eyes grew even darker.

“Because of Obi-Wan?”

Padmé gaped at him. 

“Because of what you’ve done…what you plan to do. Stop, stop now. Come back, please, I love you,” she begged. _Please, please come back to me. Because if you don’t, if you’re someone else…then Ani is gone._

His eyes slid past her, and narrowed in hate. 

“Liar!”

She turned, and her heart sank even as the movement strained her back and brought on another round of pain in her abdomen. Standing at the top of the ramp of her ship was Obi-Wan. _No,_ she wanted to scream _, go back. Please, no._

“No!” She said, and turned back to Anakin. His eyes were focused on Obi-Wan, but she could practically feel the rage, jealousy, and hate emanating from him. 

“You’re with him! You brought him here to kill me!”

Padmé kept shaking her head in horror. _This wasn’t happening, this couldn’t be happening._ The hope that she’d had when she’d first seen Anakin outside her cruiser had abandoned her, leaving her cold and empty. Another wave of pain almost made her double over.

“No, Anakin, I swear…I…” Anakin reached out to her, and Padmé felt a moment of relief before horror set in.

She couldn’t breathe. Anakin—not Anakin, it wasn’t him—was _choking_ her, and she couldn’t breathe. _Ani would never hurt her. Please, he would never hurt her._

Her vision was going blurry. Distantly, she heard Obi-Wan shouting at Anakin (he was not _her_ Anakin), but all she could focus on was the face of the man she loved as he drained the life from her.

Her head was spinning, light and heavy and warm. A high-pitched humming had taken up residence behind her right ear, and she wondered if it was trying to tell her something. She hoped Ani wouldn’t feel too bad about this when he came back to himself. _It’s not you_ , she tried to say, but her voice wasn’t working. Why wasn’t her voice working?

The last thought she had before she hit the ground was that she hoped this wasn’t bad for the baby.


	5. What Happens Next

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Title: In Which Padmé Makes Sure Her Children Will Be Safe Because Queen Amidala Wouldn't Die Of The Big Sad Unless She Was Sure They'd Be OK

In the beginning, there was nothing. Then, there was pain.

Padmé blinked into consciousness and winced. The nerve endings in her throat felt like they were on fire, and she nearly gagged as she tried to take a breath. 

_Why…Oh._

Obi-Wan’s face swam into focus. His brow was furrowed, and he laid the back of his hand against her cheek. She could barely meet the terrible gentleness and _pity_ in his eyes. She took another breath, tears pricking at her eyes from the bruising at her throat.

“Obi-Wan? Is Anakin alright?” Padmé asked. She knew the answer already, from the look in his eyes, from the words on her wrist. Obi-Wan didn’t answer, just brushed her hair back with that same gentleness.

She shut her eyes. _Ani,_ she thought, and drifted.

* * *

_“It’s definitely going to be a girl.”_

_Padmé turned at the familiar voice. She was in her apartment on Coruscant. There was something familiar about this scene, something she was forgetting…_

_In front of her, smiling, was Anakin._

_“How are you so sure?” Padmé heard herself ask playfully._ Something familiar…

_Anakin’s smile widened, and he placed a hand on Padmé’s stomach. It wasn’t big yet, but it would be soon, she knew. For now, the bump was hardly noticeable._

_“I’m a Jedi, remember? I know this kind of stuff. I can feel it,” he said, and wiggled the fingers of his mechanical hand at her. Padmé laughed._

_“You’re ridiculous.”_

_“How about a bet, then?” Anakin asked. Padmé raised an eyebrow, and he continued. “I get to name the baby if she’s a girl, and you get to name her if she’s a boy.”_

_Padmé laughed again. Something was still bothering her, itching at the back of her mind, but she pushed it aside. This was a happy moment._

_“What would you name her?”_

_Anakin took a moment to think, before his smile softened into the look he reserved only for her. “Leia. I’d name her Leia.”_

_Padmé put her arms around him._

_“That’s a beautiful name.”_

_Anakin’s playful grin returned in full force._

_“What would you name a boy, in the impossible case that I’m wrong?”_

_Padmé didn’t have to think about it long._

_“Luke,” she said, and Anakin knelt to address her stomach._

_“Hello, little Leia.” Padmé gave him a mock glare. “Or Luke,” he added, his voice full of mirth._

_Padmé smiled down at Anakin. He was still talking, but his voice was growing muddled, the image of him fading. She was drifting again, losing her hold on the memory. She tried to hold on, but was swept away by the tide of unconsciousness._

* * *

Padmé drifted for an eternity. She awoke only on occasion, and only for a few seconds each time. When she did, she caught mere flashes—the inside of her ship, being carried in steady arms, a med-droid hovering over her. The only constant was the pain. Every breath dragged itself out of her, as her stomach felt like it was splitting open, and above all that was the knowledge that Anakin was gone. 

After an immeasurable amount of time, Padmé felt herself being drawn out of the refuge of unconsciousness once more by a thin, wheedling cry. A baby— _her baby._

She winced, and felt someone’s hand curl around hers. 

“Don’t give up, Padmé,” Obi-Wan said, and Padmé could have cried if she had the strength. It was all _wrong_ —Anakin should be here, holding her hand. 

“It’s a boy,” the med-droid said, and Padmé felt a brief moment of pride before a rush of sorrow and guilt. 

“Luke,” she breathed, remembering her conversation with Anakin so long ago. The med-droid held the baby so Padmé could see, and she smiled. She could see his Words on his arm, too small to read. He was tiny, struggling to wave balled fists in the air. _Ani would have been proud_ , she thought. She mustered her strength, and managed to touch him on the forehead. _Be strong, and brave, like your father,_ she told him silently. 

“And a girl,” the other med-droid piped up, and handed a tiny bundle to Obi-Wan. He leaned down so Padmé could see her.

She was perfect. _Ani would have loved her_ , she thought, and felt another wave of pain at the memory of Anakin’s wish for a daughter. Unlike Luke, this baby was screaming, red-faced and angry.

“Leia,” Padmé said. Anakin might not have been present, but he had named their daughter. Padmé sighed as a feeling of peace and rightness washed over her, and Leia stopped crying. 

“You have twins, Padmé. They need you…hang on,” Obi-Wan said, leaning over her, urgency clear in his soft voice. Padmé wanted to tell him that she knew that, but didn’t have the energy. She took a deep, rattling breath instead. She felt as if something was pulling her very soul from her body, siphoning her strength away.

_Let go_ , that thing crooned, as it wheedled her life-force away. _Let go, give up, give in, give your life so your love will live._

_Anakin,_ she thought. She felt the japor snippet in her hand.

“I can’t,” Padmé said. She winced at the thought of leaving her children alone. On impulse, she reached out with her other hand and latched onto Obi-Wan. _Keep them safe_ , she begged him with her eyes, lacking the breath and strength to say the words out loud. _Be there for them, keep them safe_. Obi-Wan’s eyes were soft with understanding and sadness. 

“Save your energy,” he murmured, and she heard the acceptance and understanding in his voice. _When did you lose them,_ she wanted to ask, but she didn’t. Instead, she gave his hand one last squeeze. _Thank you,_ she wanted to say, but he understood that too. 

Padmé labored through another breath. She knew her time was coming, wasn’t fighting anymore.Her life was nearly gone. But…but if that voice was telling the truth, then there might still be hope for Ani. Ani, her soulmate, her love. She gathered her strength and forced herself to take a breath.

“Obi-Wan…there is good in him,” Padmé said. The room around her was fading, dark splotches eclipsing her vision. She took one more breath. “I know…” Her words were starting to slur together. She forced herself to look into his eyes, to make him understand. “There is still…” 

As her last breath faded, Padmé knew she wouldn’t be able to take another one. Obi-Wan gave her a slight nod. _He understood_. She let her eyes drift downwards, focusing on her daughter. _Leia._

_Be strong, little one,_ Padmé thought, and she let go.


	6. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's read this! It means a lot to me that you have :))  
> Also, I've always thought that Anakin's journey was a story about the difference between selfish and selfless love. His love for Padmé was selfish; he wanted to keep her safe and have her even if that meant doing things that she didn't want (his fall to the dark side to keep her "safe", for instance). His love for his son, too, started out selfish. He wanted his son as an apprentice, as a link to Padmé. However, at the end of ROTJ, Anakin was redeemed by his selfless love for Luke, because he put himself in harm's way to save his son, even though Luke didn't give him what he wanted. Idk you don't have to agree or anything, that's just my take on it

Padmé waited. 

Time passed oddly, impossible to measure, and the place Beyond called her more strongly with every passing second. She knew, if she wanted, she could fade into that Beyond and find peace and rest. Still, she waited.

Occasionally, Padmé would get a glimpse of the world Before. A boy with blue eyes and golden hair and a smile like his father’s played with model ships in his room. A girl with dark hair and her mother’s bearing chased a butterfly through a field. 

She watched them grow up.

Finally, the time came. Padmé knew he was there before she saw him, could sense him appearing behind her. She turned.

“Ani,” she breathed.

He looked the same as he had the last time she’d seen him on Coruscant—curly hair, dark robes, _blue eyes._ Blue eyes filled with love and joy and regret.

“Padmé,” he said, and fell to his knees. “I’ve done so much…caused so much pain…Can you ever forgive me?”

Padmé smiled and, taking his hands, pulled him to his feet.

“Ani, I’ve forgiven you long ago.”

“But why?” Anakin asked, pulling away slightly. “I don’t deserve forgiveness. Not after what I’ve done—especially not after what I’ve done to you.”

“I love you, Ani. I will always love you. Whatever you do, I will always love you,” she said. She pulled him into an embrace and smoothed down his hair as he leaned his head on hers.

“Our children, Padmé…they’re perfect. They’ve grown up and they’re perfect,” he murmured against her hair. Padmé closed her eyes and smiled.

“I know,” she said, “I know.”

And together, they crossed into the Beyond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate ending:  
> Anakin: I've been DYING to see you haha  
> Padmé: I can't believe I married you


End file.
